Lady&#39;s raincoat



J. T. CALLAHAN ET AL June 8, 1948.

LADYS RAINCOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15,- 1946 n M a w 6 W n m .J

n m r m 6 A a k m leakage.

Patented June 8, 1948 i ES PATENT OFFICE LADYS RAINCOAT -John 'I'.'.Callahan, West Newton, and John Arthur Milford, Mass, assignors to Archer Y Rubber Company; Milford, Massa, a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationMarch 15, 1946, Serial No. 654,596

4 Claims.

. 2 ''Fig. is a fragmentary vertical section, to large scale; substantiall onthe line Iii-18 of Fig. 2, showing a desirable form of scam for uniting the yoke and-skirt of thegarment.

5 Referring to the drawings, the numeral ides,-

iignates'the'garment as a whole, the garment comprising acollar 2; a belt 3, minor elements of trim, andbut two major parts, to wit, the one-piece yoke 4 'With"WhiCh the sleeves are integral, and

proof or moisture-repellent textile materia1,-are .,10 'theone-piece'skirt 5.

usually stiii" and lack good draping qualities;- if really waterproof they are quite often heavy and clumsy and out of keeping-with the expected daintiness and styling of other articles ofwom- The" material 'chosenformaking the various parts of the garment'iscompletelywaterproof and consists of a thin, "tough,- pliable; sheeted, synthetic resin, for instance plasticizedvinyl-chloride.

ens wear; sewed seams tend to open up after-use;- Materiab of this general character is sold under permitting leakage, and the colors available in such waterproof fabrics are limited iii-range and usually dull and uninteresting. The presentinvention has for objectsthe provision of a raincoat especially for which is actually waterproof; which has no exposed seams in its upper portion; which is very light in weight and which drapes with substantially the same effect as fine dress fabrics; which may be of highly pleasing colors in a wide rangei of shades; and which if desired maybe substantially transparent.

A further object is to provide a raincoat which is easy to don and doif, which requires nobutthe trade .name Koroseal, and is readily available-as a commercialproduct. This'material may be obtained'in'almostany desired color, and transparent 'ortranslucent, if desired, and is not inwomen r hild 11,53,110 juriously'affected'sby-oitor grease or by exposure tot he air or normal climatic conditions. It may 'be'obtained'in as pliable a'form as desired, and "without anytackiness or tendency to deteriorate during use. :Such material has a soft'pleasing 2 feel,it' is not cold to the touch'like usual waterproof materials, and it". drapes in substantially the same wa as ordinary textile fabrics. "While theparts of the garment made of this material may be united 'by-sewed seams inthe same way as ton snaps similar fasteners t hold it 1 r= garments made of :textile material and as here i1- which is pleasing in style and appearanca-and which is strong and durable. Other and'further objects and advantages of the'invention will be pointed out in the following more-ydetailedtdescription and by reference to the accompanying desirable to pl y drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective front View of the-garment as it appearswhen worn;

Fig. 2 is a three-quarters perspectiverear view of the garment, showing it open atthe front;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view,- showing the upper portion of the garment, asworn, with one arm raised to show the underarm -'construction;

lustrated'by. wayof example, it is readily possible, "when using'this'sheeted synthetic'resin, to form "the joints by a 'heat-sealing operation so that no stitching isn'ecessary. For some purposes it may a combination of=sewing "stitches and. heat sealing in forming the leak- :tight: joints "between the parts.

A garment made'from "material such as just referred .to' is extremely light, weighs but a few .-.40-"ounces,' .as 'thelmateriatmay be very thin, for

'*insta'nce0;004 f'ihchithick, and is very. pliable. Thus thez'garmenttmay be rolled up or foldedinto .a Very small package easily disposable in an ordinary :travel bag; but when unfolded its draping Fig. 4 is a plan View of a blankwhich constitutes i iualities.are'suchthat wrinkles quickly shake out the yoke of the garment;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank which-constitutes the skirt of the garment;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank employed in making the belt of the garment;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a strip of material. employed as a facing at the front of the. garment;

Fig. 8 is a plan view illustratingthe twoparts of a gusset employed beneath the arm;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a collar blank; and

andv disappear.

Theyoke' 4 .'(Fig. 4) is a unitary piece of the material; and comprises a central or shoulder por- :tion I having aneck opening 8 bounded by a v.50 curved edge 9"WhiCh"'intersect-s' the forwardly 'ol-ivergent straight edges is and 5!, respectively, the'ilatter edges, in- :the completed garment, constituting the-upper edge-portions of-the front closure. These edgeswlfleand ll'intersect (at substantial'ly rightangleslzthe edge portions 12 and I3 respectively, which, in the completed garment, extend substantially horizontally at the level of the waistline and to which are secured the right and left portions I4 and I5 (Fig. 5) respectively of the upper edge of the skirt 5. The yoke blank also comprises the sleeve portions I6 and I1, integral with the central portion 1, the sleeve portions having longitudinal edges I8 and I9, and 20 and 2I, respectively. The edges I8 and 20 terminate at narrow U-shaped notches or recesses 22 and 23, respectively, which define the rear edges 24 and 25 respectively of the breast portions 25 and 21 of the garment.

The yoke also comprises the back portion 28 having the lower edge 29 which terminates at narrow U-shaped notches or recesses 33 and 34 respectively, which define the right and left side edges 3| and 32, respectively of the back. The lower edge 23 of the back member 28 is united, in the completed garment, to the central portion 30 of the upper edge of the skirt 5, the length of this upper edge of the skirt substantially equaling the aggregate lengths of the edges I2, I3 and 29 of the yoke. The unitary, one-piece skirt has the upwardly convergent forward edges 35 and 36, respectively, which, in the completed garment, form continuations of the edges I9 and II of the yoke to define the front closure for the garment. The skirt also has a downwardly concave upper edge and a downwardly convex lower edge 31 which extends uninterruptedly about the garment from one side to the other.

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 8, a substantially kite-shaped elongate gore structure is provided at each armscye of the garment, this gore structure comprising two gore members 38 and 39 of substantially identical shape, but arranged reversely, each having a straight inner edge 40, and an outer edge which comprises a curved portion M and a substantially straight portion 42.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, there is provided a strip B of material for use in making the belt, and strips F of material (Fi '7) employed in facing the garment at its front, there being two such strips, one being used at each side of the garment. The collar 2 is formed from a blank 0, as shown in Fig. 9.

In making up the garment, a pair of gore members 38 and 39 is first sewed to the yoke at each side of the latter, so that the curved edge 4| of each core extends along the shorter side of one of the notches 22 and 33, respectively, with the edge 42 of each gore extending along the longer side of the respective notches, the gore members being secured to the yoke by seams 43 and 44 (Fig. 3). The edges I8 and I9 of the sleeve are now united by the longitudinally extending underarm seam 45 extending from the wrist ends of the sleeves and which continue beyond the edges I8 and I9 and unite the straight edges 40 of the gore members 38 and 39, this scam thus bisecting the gore structure and continuing down to and terminating at the lower ends of the edges 24 and 3|. It is understood that the same operation is performed in introducing the gores beneath each arm.

The upper edge of the skirt 5 is now united (Fig. to the edges I2, 29 and I3 of the yoke by a seam 46 whose stitches catch the lower end of the gore, at each side of the garment. This seam is preferably. so formed, by interfolding their marginal portions, that the upper edge 30 of the skirt and the lower edge 29 of the yoke to which it is united, are disposed between several plies of the material, as illustrated in Fig. 10, and so that a fold 41 of the yoke is directed downwardly at the outside of the garment so as to overlap the outer surface of the upper margin of the skirt and conceal the stitches. Thus any water running down the outer surface of the yoke will drip directly down from the water-shedding edge 41 without any substantial possibility of entering the interior of the garment through the seam. If desired, the plies of fabrics at the seam may be cemented, or heat sealed, either in addition to or as a substitute for the sewed seam, but the sewed seam formed as illustrated is amply waterproof, it being noted that the stitches which form this seam do not extend through the outer ply of the yoke member. The skirt 5 may now be hemmed at its lower edge 31, a seam 48 uniting the plies of the hem. The facing strips F are secured to the front of the garment, one at each side, one facing extending from top to bottom of the garment along the edges III, 35, and the other along the edges II, 35, respectively, the facing strips being secured by seams 49 (Fig. 1) or other appropriate means. Belt-retaining loops 50 (Fig. 3) are attached to opposite sides of the garment, preferably substantially in line with the underarm seam 45 and at points adjacent to the seam 46, and the belt blank B is folded to form two plies with the edges of the blank concealed between them, the plies being secured together by appropriate seams 5I (Fig. 2). The belt is now introduced into the loops 50 at opposite sides of the garment, and the garment is ready for use. In donning the garment, the user thrusts her arms into the sleeves, then wraps the right-hand forward portion of the garment over the left, and draws them together by means of the belt and ties the belt in a knot at the front. No other fastening means is requisite.

It may be noted that since the yoke and sleeves are integral and since the only seams in the sleeves are the seams 43, 44 and 45, all of which are at the under side of the sleeve, there is no crevice through which moisture may enter the upper portion of the garment. Likewise, as above described, the only seam which unites the yoke to the skirt is so fashioned that moisture cannot enter through this seam. The garment being made of a waterproof material and without exposed seams, is thus completely waterproof.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been illustrated by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A wrap-around raincoat which, except for collar, belt and usual trim elements, consists of but two pieces of waterproof material, to wit, a one-piece skirt and a one-piece yoke, the latter comprising right and left breast portions, sleeve portions and a back portion, the yoke having narrow U-shaped recesses at the intersections of the sleeve portions with the breast and back portions respectively, the length of the upper edge of the skirt portion substantially equaling the aggregate lengths of the lower edges of the back and breast portions of the yoke, a waterproof joint uniting said edges of the yoke and skirt, a gore extending longitudinally of each sleeve at each armscye of the garment, an underarm seam extending uninterruptedly from the wrist end of each sleeve to the upper edge of the skirt, said seams bisecting the respective gores, anda belt constructed and arranged to hold the garment closed at its front when in use.

2. A wrap-around raincoat of thin, transparent, water-proof, flexible material which comprises a one-piece skirt and one-piece yoke, the latter comprising right and left breast portions, sleeve portions and a back portion, the yoke having narrow U-shaped recesses at the intersections of the sleeve portions with the breast and back portions respectively, the skirt being united by a sewed seam at its upper edge to the yoke, the lower portion of the yoke extending downwardly to form a water-shedding fold below and concealing the stitches forming the seam, each sleeve having an underarm seam extending uninterruptedly from its wrist end to the upper edge of the skirt, and an elongate substantially kiteshaped gore extending longitudinally of each sleeve at each armscye, the lower end of each gore being caught by the stitches which unite the skirt and yoke, and each underarm seam substantially bisecting its respective gore.

3. A wrap-around raincoat of thintransparent, water-proof, flexible material and which comprises a one-piece skirt and a yoke, the latter comprising right and left breast portions, sleeve portions and a back portion, the yoke having narrow U-shaped recesses at the intersections of the sleeve portions with the breast and back portions respectively, the skirt being united by a sewed seam at its upper edge to the yoke, each sleeve having an underarm seam extending uninterruptedly from its wrist end to the upper edge of the skirt, and an elongate gore extending longitudinally of each sleeve at the armscye, each gore comprising two substantially like elongate pieces each having a curved outer edge and a substantiall straight inner edge, the curved outer edges extending along and being united to the margins of the U-shaped recesses and the substantially straight edges being juxtaposed and united by the stitches of the underarm seam, one end of the gore being caught into the seam which unites the skirt and yoke, and the underarm seam substantially bisecting the corresponding gore.

4. A wrap-around raincoat of thin waterproof, flexible material and which comprises a one-piece skirt and a yoke the latter consisting of a single piece of material and comprising right and left breast portions, sleeve portions and a back portion, the yoke having narrow U-shaped recesses at the intersections of the sleeve portions with the breast and back portions respectively, the skirt being united by a sewed seam at its upper edge to the yoke, each sleeve having an underarm seam extending uninterruptedly from its wrist end to the upper edge of the skirt, and a kite-shaped gore at each armscye, each ore comprising two substantially like elongate pieces each having a. curved outer edge and a substantially straight inner edge, the curved outer edges extending along and being united to the margins of the U-shaped recesses and the substantially straight edges of the pieces being juxtaposed and united by the stitches of the underarm seam, one end of the gore reaching down to the upper edge of the skirit and being secured to the latter.

JOHN T. CALLAHAN. JOHN ARTHUR GILBERTSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,368,835 Place Feb. 15, 1921 2,024,971 Le Roy Dec. 17, 1935 2,174,831 Muller Oct. 3, 1939 2,179,675 Trageser Nov. 14, 1939 2,309,716 Seifer Feb. 2, 1943 

